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Realm of Yamatar
The Realm of Yamatar was a powerful sub-sector polity which coalesced in the later centuries of Old Night. Its worlds suffered greatly from the depredations of the huge alien entities known as Ke'mano. Yamatar's forces were tempered in the fires of such brutal warfare, and when unification with the Imperium ended those conflicts they became some of the most formidable serving in the Great Crusade. Out of the Night The concept of nemesis is almost as old as language itself, yet few indeed are the instances we find where a truly diametric struggle for survival occurred. In nature we may focus upon the struggle between one predator and one prey-genus, but in truth the bear is soon joined by the wolf. In such a way were most human civilisations beset by a multitiude of foes as they endured the Age of Strife. Orks might be the primary menace to most such enclaves, but abhumans, Eldar and any number of lesser-known hazards would assail them just as readily. Still, in a few instances we do find a struggle in which humans wrestled with a single opponent who came to define them. Yamatar and its people were such an example, shaped almost entirely by their long wars against one particular enemy. While Orks and abhumans might invade and engage in piracy against them, Yannatar lay close to a stellar waste known as the Mothran Abyss, which spawned a quite singular menace. For many years scholars faced a paucity of records from this campaign, but the sheer scale of the armada drawn up to invade it in 852 M30 - the main strength of three Legiones Astartes, numerous Mechanicum taghmata and some six Excertus battle-groups - gives eloquent testimony. Far more emerged after the Remembrancer Edict, as eventually the XIXth Legion’s archives of conquest were opened to artists and historators. The stories and images of Mothran that emerged were more compelling than most, and became the basis for the Labyrinta Mothran, one of the Remembrancer Order’s first true magnum opi. The Labyrinta tells of vast monsters, the equal of Titans, which slipped between worlds through mysterious portals to wreak havoc wherever they arrived. No source pinpoints the origins of these Ke’mano, as the population of Yamatar came to call them. Their aggression - records exist in which a single beast levelled a hive city - outstripped the bounds of reason, leading to speculation that these were living weapons which had outlived their masters, just as AI constructs have been found fighting or maintaining settlements for long-dead cultures. Others point to the influence of the Warp, citing their bewildering variety of shapes, while others suggested they were in truth the end point of an evolutionary trajectory shaping predators too ravenous for their prey to survive. Predators they certainly were, and fell upon human and alien alike to sate their hunger. If the Imperial records of Mothran were marred by gaps, Yamatar’s speak to a minor Dark Age brought on by the Ke’mano’s destructive predations. Kirya’s Magos suffered most, doing away with many of the Cult Mechanicus’ rituals in order to survive. Tellingly, when they sealed their pacts with House Toho and other mortal worlds, these were alliances of mutual support, far from the hegemony and enslavement that other Mechanicus factions would visit upon Knight Houses. The Kirya Skitarii adopted a particular emphasis on mobility, fielding unusual numbers of Ironstriders and fast-moving transports to evade Kaiju on the battlefield. While the mightiest of the Ke’mano were so vast that no Skitarius could possibly threaten them, some spawned creatures adjacent to men and Astartes in size, small enough to evade the weapons of Knights and Titans. The Skitarii became adept in combating these creatures. The nature of the struggle against the Ke’mano dictated the arsenal used to fight them. Radiation weapons saw little use, as the Taghmata found themselves stationed across the sector with the Titans of Gojira. Indeed, the usual divide between mortal troops and cyborgs blurred somewhat, as the elites of other worlds were granted access to wargear jealously guarded by other Forge Worlds. As contingencies, Kirya spread its forge-colonies and outposts wide, and a loose interpretation of the Omnissian religion became the norm throughout Yamatar. But while the armies of Yamatar renewed their strength and learned to slay the Ke’mano, their strength was never enough to pursue and extirpate them. Thus the centuries were coloured on these worlds by a grim, unceasing vigilance, until the Scions Hospitalier drew near. A fleet led by Captain Senaedon made first contact, and in short order Pionus Santor had arrived, deeming the Mothran Abyss more than worthy of his attention. The generals and lords of Yamatar were hardly about to sit out the destruction of the monsters which had tormented them for so long, and for this sake they pledged themselves to the Imperium and Pionus’ banner. Some of the Mechanicus representatives were decidedly hesitant, but Pionus was impressed by the Yamatar’s zeal, and accepted. In the ferocious fighting that followed, the Yamatar proved his trust well-founded, and the bonds forged in the Mothran Purge proved strong indeed. Pionus led them into the fire along with the Apostles of War and Eagle Warriors. The Ke'mano were purged to the last, and finally Yamatar stood free of its old tormentors. Imperium The Realm now became a protectorate of the Scions Hospitalier, and its various armies became the XIXth Legion’s most dependable auxiliaries. Freed from the incessant grind of warfare, Yamatar grew more prosperous even before Imperial resources began to pour in. The high command of the Great Crusade had recognised its highly fortified status as being immensely valuable, a bulwark against threats in the Galactic South. Such foresight proved vital in the Vremalkyr Incursions, in which the godlike power of those xenos overwhelmed world after Imperial world. While one of their invasion forces was destroyed at Sondheim, their thrall armies reached the borders of Yamat. Here, it was only through the garrisons under the joint command of Glaucus of the Scions and Chief Shaltak of the Fire Keepers that kept the foe back, buying time for the Emperor Himself to respond to the threat. The Worlds of Yamatar * Kirya * Zuka * Otachi * Kaijo Category:Subsector Category:Yamatar Category:Polity Category:Galaxy